2011 Eastern League All-Stars Announced

Manchester, NH - The New Hampshire Fisher Cats, in conjunction with the Eastern League, today announce the rosters for the 2011 Northeast Delta Dental Eastern League All-Star Game, including six Fisher Cats named to the Eastern Division roster and North Conway, NH native Jeff Locke to the Western Division. The Northeast Delta Dental Eastern League All-Star Game will take place Wednesday, July 13, at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium in Manchester, NH.

The Northeast Delta Dental Eastern League All-Star Game features some of the brightest stars from the league's 12 teams, as the top players from the Eastern League's Eastern Division (New Hampshire Fisher Cats, Binghamton Mets, Reading Phillies, New Britain Rock Cats, Portland Sea Dogs and Trenton Thunder) will challenge the best of the Western Division (Akron Aeros, Altoona Curve, Bowie Baysox, Erie SeaWolves, Harrisburg Senators and Richmond Flying Squirrels).

Each roster consists of 24 players, including at least three players from each of the Eastern League's 12 teams. At least one position player and one pitcher, who were selected by fans of each team through online balloting, represent every team. The remaining selections were made through voting by league media, managers and officials.

The Eastern Division will be managed by Fisher Cats manager Sal Fasano, accompanied by New Hampshire pitching coach Pete Walker and hitting coach Justin Mashore. The Western Division will be guided by Altoona Curve manager PJ Forbes, along with Curve pitching coach Wally Whitehurst and hitting coach Brandon Moore.

New Hampshire pitchers Henderson Alvarez and Joel Carreno will join catcher Travis d'Arnaud, first baseman Mike McDade, shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria and right fielder Moises Sierra on the Eastern Division All-Star roster, matching a franchise record of six All-Star selections in a single season.

"We are very excited to have this deserving group of players represent the Fisher Cats and the Eastern Division at the Northeast Delta Dental Eastern League All-Star Game," said Fisher Cats President Rick Brenner. "We congratulate our six representatives and the rest of the All-Stars and look forward to seeing everyone at the HR Concepts Total Access All-Star Block Party on July 12 and the Northeast Delta Dental Eastern League All-Star Game on July 13."

Alvarez, a 6-foot-1 right-hander from Valencia, Venezuela, has been a dominant force in the Fisher Cats starting rotation since joining the team from Advanced-A Dunedin in mid-May. The 21-year-old, signed by the Blue Jays at age 16, is currently 4-3 with a 2.61 ERA in eight starts with New Hampshire and has accumulated 29 strikeouts while walking 12 batters. Eastern League hitters have managed just a .223 batting average against him. The Blue Jays' prospect is a perfect 2-0 at home with a 1.32 ERA at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium. Alvarez has also been selected to play for the World Team in the 13th Annual XM All-Star Futures Game at Chase Field in Arizona.

Carreno has consistently been near the top of the Eastern League leader board in several categories. The San Cristobal, Dominican Republic native currently ranks second in strikeouts (105) and is third in batting average against (.189). In the month of May, the 24-year-old right-hander went 4-0 with a 1.18 ERA in five starts and 31.2 innings pitched. In that time, Carreno totaled 41 strikeouts while allowing just eight hits and holding batters to a .082 average against. Carreno, who is currently a member of the Blue Jays 40-man roster, is currently 6-5 with a 3.33 ERA.

d'Arnaud, 22, is rated by Baseball America as Toronto's #4 overall prospect and is listed as the best defensive catcher in the organization. d'Arnaud, who has clubbed eight homers and driven in 25 runs, currently leads the team in on-base percentage (.373) and OPS (.866) and is third in batting average (.291). The Long Beach, CA native also enjoyed a solid performance in May, batting .410 with three home runs and 10 RBIs. Behind the plate, the 2010 Florida State League All-Star has thrown out 13-of-42 potential base stealers. Acquired by the Blue Jays from the Phillies in the Roy Halladay trade, d'Arnaud was
Philadelphia's first-round pick (37th overall) of the 2007 Major League Draft.

Hechavarria, a member of the Blue Jays 40-man roster, is listed as the best defensive infielder among Toronto's top prospects by Baseball America. The 22-year-old has totaled 75 hits this season, including 17 doubles, five home runs and a team high four triples. The Santiago de Cuba, Cuba native has accumulated 16 stolen bases on the season, good for second on the club.

McDade, 22, has held his place among Eastern League leaders in most offensive categories throughout the first half of the season. The Las Vegas, NV native currently leads the league in RBIs (52), doubles (25) and runs scored (49) while ranking second in total bases (144) and extra-base hits (36). His .300 batting average leads the team and ranks tenth among league leaders while his .502 slugging percentage and 11 home runs rank first and second on the team, respectively. McDade was the Blue Jays' sixth-round pick (205 overall) of the 2007 Major League Draft.

Sierra, a native of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, has been a force at the plate for New Hampshire with a team leading and career high 12 home runs to go along with 46 RBIs on the season. Listed as the Blue Jays' 23rd best prospect by Baseball America, Sierra has emerged as a power source in the middle of the Fisher Cats' line up, belting a home run off of the Hilton Garden Inn beyond the left-center field wall on June 8 versus Bowie. The 22-year-old right fielder and member of the Blue Jays 40-man roster has also demonstrated a powerful arm, collecting a team high five outfield assists.

Festivities for the 2011 Northeast Delta Dental Eastern League All-Star Game begin with the free HR Concepts Total
Access All-Star Block Party at Veteran's Park in downtown Manchester, NH on Tuesday, July 12. The event, which runs
from 5:30-10:00pm, includes live entertainment from comedian Jimmy Dunn and music from Mama Kicks! along with face painting and inflatable rides for the kids. To purchase tickets for the 2011 Northeast Delta Dental Eastern League All-Star Game, call (603) 641-2005 or visit www.nhfishercats.com.

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.